Mismatched round fired in barrel?

Question

At deer camp the other night a conversation about guns got started. One story that came up was about a guy who borrowed his friends 30-06 and said he would buy some ammo for it. The story goes that the guy bought 308 ammo for it instead and when he fired a round off the round exploded in the chamber and tore up the rifle. The guy telling the story said the rifle was useless after this. My question is this; is this possible and could a 308 round be fired in a 30-06?

Answer 1

Rip, the simple answer is yes a 308 round can be chambered and fired in a 30-06. Looking at your question you commented that the "round exploded in the chamber". I can see this happening, some years ago I saw a 410 single shot shotgun that a " outdoors man" had loaded a 41 magnum pistol round into and fired it. The brass split and the barrel had a bulge in it about 3/8 of an inch from the area where the bullet would have been. I can see a 308 round splitting in the chamber as it would be shorter than the 06 round and not have an adequate amount of chamber to hold the shoulder or case mouth. As far as the rifle being no good after wards I would have to think real hard about that one. I can see some damage to the chamber as far as spaulding of lead or brass, maybe some gas escaping back to the bolt face and possibly leaving the round stuck in the bore. But I would have to think that any of these could be repaired by a quality gunsmith. I guess anything is possible but I would tend to think ruining a rifle by doing this is a good camp story. I wouldn't doubt that a round would split or break up in the chamber but I think the rest would be what we Texans call a tall tale.

Answer 2

I agree with SM and can't believe he got 2 thumbs down!



Yes, they do make an item that allows you to place in the breech of a 30-06 rifle to allow it to shoot 308 ammunition. But that's the thing. You need that item or else the 308 cartridge will be too short!



I can imagine that SM got it exactly right. The 308 Win cartridge is obviously much shorter than the 30-06. I believe they are head-spaced from the rim of the cartridge; which is a fancy way of saying that they are held in place by the rim at the rear. When the round it fired, the pressure created by the burning propellent tries to take the path of least resistance. That usually means pushing the bullet out the front on a round that "form fits" the chamber. If it is a 308 inside of a 30-06 chamber, that means that besided pushing the bullet forward, it is also going to push the brass outward in the front of the cartridge, near the shoulder and neck areas. (This is how brass is "fire formed" in many whildcat rifles.) It's one thing to turn a 22 Hornet into a 22K Hornet; as long as the overall cartridge length is the same and all you are doing is taking it up a step or two in diameter, that's ok. But, when the cartridge length is so short, then you have a major problem.



So, I believe the story as it was told.

Answer 3

Ok I'm going to have to tell on myself. Four years ago I was hunting in south Texas and carried two rifles with me on the hunt. When I got to the camp the guys told me that I should use my 308 instead of my 243. Next morning were getting ready to go and I was hurrying and made a BAD mistake. I reached into my ammo bag and grabbed a box of ammo, dumped several rounds in my coat pocket as the guys were loading up and as I went to the truck I loaded three rounds in the magazine and clicked it place. Sitting in the stand 20 minutes later, it's dark, a little cool, and I think oh yeah time to chamber a round, work the bolt and I'm ready. A nice 8 point comes out about 20 minutes after 7 and I have him sighted and squeeze off the round. The resulting flash actually sprinkled my face. I had put 243 ammo in a 308; I thought I've been hunting for years and I do something as stupid as this. After wards I thought how lucky I was not to have lost an eye or something worse. And yes SM is right the case split at the neck, I figure the bullet flew somewhere but I know for a fact a lot of burning powder went past that bullet and flashed outside the muzzle. So it can happen with other ammo.

Answer 4

The nice thing about a 22lr is that ammo is plentiful and cheap, so it is great to practice and learn on. The downside is that you can't (or shouldn't) hunt much with it, like deer, turkey and other birds, etc. It also isn't the best defense round for your home. As you get into this, you'll see why so many of us own much more than one firearm. A 12 gauge shotgun can give you defense and will allow you to hunt a great deal, but isn't really a firearm to take to the range much (it is great for skeet and trap). I didn't thumb down the AR, or thumb up the 10/22. If you have a lot of money, the AR can cover a lot of bases. You said money isn't an issue, but a 22lr can not only get your feet wet, it can do it inexpensively with a quality firearm. A 10/22, Marlin Model 60, and some others will only cost around $200, and will last decades. If you want to get a 22lr, and you probably will, those two are extremely popular. Neither is a bolt action, and many recommend new people get a bolt. I didn't take that advice, but now I'd like to get one. I'd think about how much exactly you want to spend, and what you might want to hunt. Most likely you should start out with a .22lr, and then let experience and research guide you from there. The 22lr won't commit a lot of money, and will leave you ready to buy your second firearm once you've decided.

Answer 5

I can't begin to tell you how many damaged or destroyed firearms came into the shop that resulted from people loading the wrong caliber into it managing to get it to fire. Some had terminal results to the shooter (death) and or disfigurement. NEVER fire anything other than the caliber stamped on the firearm.

Since .308 is actually a shorter 30-06 round (.30 cal) yes it will chamber. yes it could fire. Would there be damage? possibly.

shoot safe

Answer 6

Sure. That's the deal with headspace problems. The case tends to push forward in the chamber, and the shoulder and neck try to expand to fill the chamber, but there isn't enough brass to do it, so the case splits. Hot gasses and bits of brass go down the raceway, and (depending on the bolt design) some of it comes out in the shooter's hand and/or face. Most bolt action designs put most of the trash into the magazine well, but nothing's perfect. It's a little surprising the rifle couldn't be salvaged, but it sure doesn't do any good for it, or for the nut behind the bolt.

Answer 7

Consider this: Bottleneck rimless cartridges headspace on the shoulder of the cartridge. When the cartridge uses all the chamber and stops, the extractor snaps over the rim. If there is no resistance to the shorter cartridge, the extractor will not engage the rim, thus the firing pin will not protrude far enough to set off the primer.

The only way to fire a .308 in a .30-06 chamber is by using a chamber adapter that fits in the chamber and shortens the chamber.

Answer 8

That would be one big leap to the lands and rifling. Im sure somehow it could have exploded by hitting the lands wrong, bullet getting dis-formed and lodging in the barrel. But who the hell buys 308 for a 30-06? Even Im not that stupid....

Answer 9

Yes it could be chambered, and fired. It is HIGHLY doubtful the gun exploded. They used to sell breech blocks that allowed the user to shoot 308 ammo in 30-06 rifles.

Answer 10

Yes, and the only thing that would happen is the neck would be expanded out to fill the chamber. I accidently fired a 30-30 in a 303 Enfield. and it did just this.

Answer 11

yes it might chamber it if it does then it should fire and not hurt the gun now don't carry 20 gouge and 12 that will blow up the 20 will slide down far enough that a 12 will fit and my cousin did and lost part of his fingers he was Lucky he didn't aim just shot from the hip but you should always check your rounds

Answer 12

yes i think it has happened